This series featuring the brilliant DI Hilary Greene would make a terrific tv series! There is always a new twist and the ending of this book will leave you gasping.. As always, you are left looking forward to the next book!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books, the eighth novel to feature DI Hillary Greene of Thames Valley police.

It has been a quiet few months in CID although not without stress as a sniper has been killing police officers all over England. Hillary, therefore, is happy to be asked to investigate the murder of Mattie Jones in her home in a small Cotswold village. It doesn't take the team long to discover that Mattie was a feisty woman and apart from a acrimonious divorce had several other enemies and some well kept secrets.

I thoroughly enjoyed Murder in the Mansion. It has a well crafted plot which held my attention throughout, several unexpected twists and turns and a shocking ending. For once there were no clues about motive or the perpetrator early on so I lived the investigation with Hillary. In the previous two novels I guessed early on where they were going. The plot is not particularly original but Ms Martin does it well and produces some surprises along the way.

The main pleasure in the novel, however, comes from the characterisation. The novel will work as a stand alone as the murder investigation is complete within it but the ongoing saga of the characters' lives and interactions evolves with each novel so I would recommend reading the series in order to get a fuller understanding. I enjoyed the developments in their histories and can't wait to see what will come next. Throughout it all Hillary remains serene and all knowing. She is a sharp operator with a profound understanding of human nature which means she is often one step ahead of her team. She is a wonderful creation.

Murder in the Mansion is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

DI Hillary Greene is called to a murder of Mattie Jones. She is in the process of getting a divorce and there seem to be a number of people who are suspects. On top of that they have a sniper after the police, killing one person in each station until he is caught. Changes have come to Hillary's love life too. Always much going on. Sometimes it is hard to tell who would kill and how far back do you have to go in Maddie's life to find the killer?

5 stars

I read the Kindle edition.

A sniper with a grudge against the police is on the loose and slowly making his way towards the Thames Valley Constabulary near the Oxford area. The police officers there are on edge.

DI Hillary Greene receives a note from her superior, Paul Danvers, about a murder. Responding to the call with DC Keith Barrington and the rest of her team, they find the murder occurred in the nicest house in the village. The victim is a Mrs. Mathilda “Mattie” Jones. She was stabbed multiple times. Upon interviewing the neighbors, they lean that Mattie was the type to make enemies and many of the neighbors could be counted amongst them. Keith finds several poison pen letters in Mattie’s jewelry box.

The letters are traced to Mattie’s sister, Fiona Cartwright. She is a hateful individual who is abusive to the police. Then a witness come into the police station and tells Hillary that she saw a car parked in front of Mattie’s house at the time of the murder. There was a blond woman sitting in the car. It turns out to belong to Rachel, Mattie’s soon-to-be ex-husband’s secretary and bit on the side.

DS Gemma Fordham is still sneaking around with her own agenda for being with Hillary’s team. But Hillary is on to her and Gemma begins to suspect that she might be. Is she being paranoid? DS Frank Ross is still being sloppy and relatively lazy and obnoxious.

After interviewing Mattie’s boyfriend, Hillary gets an idea. Now all she had to do was prove it. The identity of the killer comes as little surprise, but the fun is in getting there.

And the book ends on a very sad note.

This book is very well written and plotted as are all of Faith Martin’s novels. I truly enjoyed it. The story starts out with a bang with Mattie’s murder, and the suspense continues throughout the book. The team gets along well with Hillary at the helm. There are moments of irritability showing through when Frank acts up or with Gemma’s “undercover” activities. Ms. Martin keeps getting better and better. Very well done and keep writing!!

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this great book to read and enjoy.

Absolutely love this series of books they are amazing. This one didnt disappoint, each book gets better than the last. The storylines are cleverly written with plenty of twists to keep you guessing. Sitting down with one of these books is like meeting old friends. This book was full of tension and danger and kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was coming next. Thoroughly enjoyed it and well deserving of 5 stars.

This is a revised novel from an earlier edition in the DI Hillary Greene series set in Oxfordshire, a county I know well. I always enjoy reading a book set in a location that I am familiar with, and here this one is set in the Cotswolds.. Mattie Jones has been discovered stabbed to death in her huge home and our intrepid Hillary investigates. The victim is definitely not a woman that is well liked, going through a difficult divorce and is involved with someone else. The police find themselves literally under fire as well from a sniper. In difficult and trying circumstances, Hillary tries to get to the bottom of a case whilst under tremendous stress. I found this a well plotted and entertaining crime read.